EU parliament asked to probe UKIP leader expense claims

By Martin Banks - 4th June 2009

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Parliament has been asked to investigate the parliamentary allowances paid to Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party.

The demand by Glenis Willmott comes as UKIP is, according to the polls, set to match or even eclipse Labour in this week's European elections.

Willmott, who leads the UK Labour group in parliament, was responding to recent media report about Farage's expenses.

She declared, “I call on the European parliament authorities to investigate the claim by Nigel Farage that he has taken over €2m of taxpayers' money in expenses and allowances as an MEP, on top of his salary."

A recent story in the Observer newspaper said, "The leader of the UK Independence party (Ukip), which wants to lead Britain out of the EU, has taken £2m of taxpayers' money in expenses and allowances as a member of the European Parliament, on top of his £64,000 a year salary."

The report, on 24 May, goes on, "Nigel Farage, who is calling on voters to punish "greedy Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem MPs" at the European elections on 4 June, boasted of his personal expenses haul at a meeting with foreign journalists in London last week."

Speaking to this website,Farage reacted angrily to the demand, saying,"She is a silly so-and-so because I get the same allowances as everyone else. In fact, mine are probably less than Willmott. There is nothing to investigate."

Willmott also called on parliament to dock the severance pay and pensions of MEPs who have been found guilty of abusing their parliamentary expenditure.

Former Tory whip Den Dover, who has stood down as an MEP at this election, claimed over €500,000 in unjustified expenses from the parliament.

He will receive a transitional payment of about €60,000 and a generous pension.

Tom Wise, elected as a UKIP MEP in 2004, is charged with money laundering and false accounting in relation to his expenses. He will receive a transitional payment of over €30,000 and his pension.

Willmott said: “I am calling on the European parliament to claim back money that has not been spent in accordance with the rules and to dock the transitional payments and to withhold pension payments to those MEPs, until the money is recouped.

“The taxpayer should not have to support MEPs who have committed fraudulent acts."

The expenses scandal surrounding MPs in Britain has overshadowed the european elections in the UK, with pundits predicting a higher-than-expected success for protest and fringe parties.